Bottle-capping machine.



' No. 660,322. E Patented oet. 23, |900.

c. G. BAUER.

BOTTLE cAPPlNG MACHINE.

(Application led Apr. 26, 1900.)

l(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

Panama` oct. 23, |900; c.' G. BAUER.

BOTTLE CAPPING MACHINE.

(Application led Apr. 26, 1900.)

2 sheets-sheet z.

(N0 Model rov UNITED STATES i PATENT OEEICE.

CHARLES G. BAUER, OF NEW YORK, N. ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN STOPPERCOMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

BOTTLE-CAPPING MACHIN E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 660,322, dated October23, 1900.

' Application iiled April 26, 1900. vSerial No. 14,451. (No model.)

To (tl/Z whom it may concer-71,:

Be it known that I, CHARLES G. BAUER, a resident of New York,(Brooklyrn) in the county of Kings and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Bottle-Capping Machines; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear,

and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art. to which it pertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to vessel-capping machines, and has for its objectto provide an efficient capping mechanism, includingapositively-actuated cap-holding and cap-turning clutch coperating withthe actuating devices, all to secu re caps upon bottles and othervessels by relative rotation thereof to cause the engagement of lockingdevices.

The invention consists in the construction herein described and pointedont.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective of the machine.Fig. 2 is a partial longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a frontelevation. Fig. 4 is a section of a plunger on line 4 4 of Fig. 6. Fig.5 is a perspective of a pin-guide. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section ofthe plunger. Eig. 7 is a partial plan of a bottle-supporting shelf.

perspective of a bottle-holding arm. Fig. 9

is a partial rear elevation of the foot of the Fig. 10 is a section ofthe plungershell, showing a modified form of cam-face.

pedestal and operated by a treadle 4 to compressa returning-spring 5,seated on a pedestal diaphragm '6 and bearing upwardly against a disk 7,movable in the pedestal.

' 8 denotes a plunger movable in the pedestal and connected tothetreadle by the rod 3. It is provided witha neck 9, having a sleeve 10,from which depends a case or plunger-shell 11, containing the cap-clutchand connected mechanism.

12 denotes a bottle-supporting shelf suitably grooved to be adjustablyheld on a plate' or rib 13, liXed to the pedestal. f

14 denotes clamping-handles screwed on stems 15, which have arms orbuttons 16, adapted to be turned behind the edge of the plate 13, theshelf being clamped to the plate by screwing the handles on the stems.

17 represents posts fixed to shelf 12 and each provided with an arm 18,adjustable about a post and fixed thereto by a set-screw 19 or 1S)X orby botn. The arms 18 embrace laterally the footof the vessel to becapped. 20 represents arms similarly adjustable to embrace the upperpart of the vessel, as indicated. ings 21, of soft rubber or likematerial.

Within the plunger-shell is a ring 22, (see Fig. 6,) connected to saidshell by pins 23, fixed to the ring and movable in slots 24 in theshell-wall. (See Fig. 1.) Through this ring passes the stern 25 of aplunger-cup 26. Said stem is movable through the ring and within asocket 27, formed in the shell.

28 is-a spring normally holding the ring 22 and its connected parts intheir lowest or normal situation.

The plunger-cup in operation has a small rotary movementwithin the ringand shell, which latter do not rotate. The cup and its stem arerotatably held to the ring by the nut 56, which bears against the uppermember of the housing of the antifriction-balls 29, the lower ballsresting upon a ring or cone 53, screwed onto the cup-stem close to thecup.

The plunger-cap is yprovided with pins 31 and 32, which, if desired, maybe provided with loose rollers or antifriction-rings 30. These operatein slots 33 and 34, respectively, said slots being formed in the footand on opposite sides of the plunger-shell. Said slots These arms haveinner faces or lin- 5 to act.

have, respectively, similar cam-faces 35 and 36, which, in cooperationwith the respective pins 3l and 32 of the pl linger-shell, cause apartial rotation of the cup 26 when the plunger-shell is lowered by thetreadle to carry the cup-and a contained cap upon the bottlemouth. Thisrotation ofthe cup is caused by the ineffective resistance of the pinsot' the l contained cap,and thereby-engaging suitable` cap-lugs withcorresponding bottle-lugs and locking the cap upon the bottle. In thisoperation pin 3l is carried to the position indicated by the upperdotted lines in Fig. 10 in readiness to drop tothe lower dot-tedposition as soon as spring 2S is released by freeing the treadle andpermitting the returning-spring The dropping of the cup and its pin 3lin a direct line is insured by a spring guide-plate 37, fastened to theexterior of the shell ll at 38 and provided with a pin 39, playingfreely in a suitable hole in the shell-wall. Said plate is notessential, and cam-faces,such as indicated in the drawings, operatesuccessfully without it. In the before-described rotation of the cup thepin 3l bears against the thick part 37 of the guide-plate 37 (see Figs.5 and l0) and presses it outwardly until it passes off` the plate,whichthereupon springs back to its normal situation. The pin then passes downthe end of the plate and along its bottom in the return movement, thefirst or vertical part of which is effected by spring 28 and the rotarypart by the pin 32, forced to follow a cam-face 40 on the under side ofa block 41, fixed to the pedestal. As soon as pin 32 passes off the camit is lifted by spring 5 to its initial situation at the upper left-handcorner of the block, as indicated.in Fig. 4. The spring-plate 37 is notessential, and a cam, such as shown in Fig. 12, operates successfullywithout it.

To suitably hold the cap in the cup, and particularly when the cap isrotated to lock it to the vessel-neck, clutch-lugs 42--ve in the presentinstance-are pivoted therein. These may have edges 43, adapted to engagesimilarly-shaped grooves in a corrugated capllange. The lugs 42 aresuitably moved to clutch the cap by means of a plug 44, sliding in arecess 45, formed in the cup-stem 25. Said 'plug 44 has an enlarged foot46, situated under the overhanging lug-fingers 47 of the clutch-lugs.Then the cup is forced down to seat the cap on a vessel-mouth, thelatter The cap-cup rotates until its reacts to push up the plug andcarry its foot 4G against the fingers 47, thereby turning theclutch-lugs on their pivots and causing their approxi matelyyerticalfaces to press on the cap-flange and hold it against independentrotation in the cup, whereby it is insured that when the cup is rotatedby the above-de# cap-cup will have a shoulder, as indicated at 52, toreceive a flange 53 of 'the lower ballhousing cone. The cone may have anextension 54 extending below said ange and surrounding the lower part ofthe cup, as shown.

The invention is notlimited to the particular form of cap-clutch nor, asrespects other parts of the invention, to any specific means of holdingthe cap in the cup.

In operation the clutch-head comprising the cup descends upon the capand the sliding plug is pushed up, with the effect to turn theclutch-lugs on their pivots and cause them to clutch and hold the cap asit is forced onto thevessel. Theinwardly-projectingcap-lugs rst descendin the vertical part of the bayonet-joint grooves and are then turnedunder their approximately-horizontal parts. The treadle, plunger, andconnecting devices being then freed, the main or pedestal spring liftsthe plunger-shell and permits the capclutch-plug spring to push down theplugand free the cap from the cap-clutch lugs. The plunger-shell isreturned toits initial position by the cam on the standard-blockcoperating with the pin 32, as above explained.

The antifriction devices facilitate the rotation of the cap-seating cup,so that cams of moderate pitch act efficiently upon pins or likeprojections from the cup. The oppositely-situated cup-pins cooperate togive a steady movement. The ball-housing com prising the central ring ismade movable in the plunger-shell to provide for the necessarylengthwise movement of the cup, and the spring returns the housing andcup lengthwise, and the cup-pin 32 by its engagement with the cam on thestandard rotates the cup to return it circumferentially to its initialposition.

The rubber liningsof the arms provide for irregularities in the articlesembraced and guard against injurious contact.

Obviously the machine is not limited to the use of a treadle or to anysource of power or to particular power-transmitting means. These andother operations and advantages are obvious and further description isunnecessary.

IDO

I-Iaving thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a machine for capping bottles, the combination of a plungercomprising a cup to embrace'a cap and seat it upon the bottle, anddevices to rotate the cup and turn the cap transversely after it isseated on said bottle.

2. In a machine for capping bottles, the combination of a plungercomprising a cup to embrace a cap and seat it upon the bottle, anddevices to rotate the cup and turn the cap transversely after it isseated on said bottle, and a clutch to prevent the independent rotationof the cap.

3. In a machine for capping bottles, the combination of a plungercomprising` a cup to embrace a cap and seat'it upon the bottle, devicesto rot-ate the cup and turn the cap transversely after it is seated onsaid bottle, and a clutch to prevent the independent rotation of thecap, said clutch being automatically* releasable by gravit-y.

4. In a machine for capping bottles, the combination of a plungercomprising a cup to embrace a cap and force it upon the bottle, anddevices to rotate the cup and turn the cap seated on said bottle, saiddevices consisting of pins Xed to the cup and means for suitably movingthem along cam-faces formed in the plunger-shell.

In a machine for capping bottles, the combination of a plungercomprising a cup to embrace a cap and force it Aupon the bottle, anddevices to rotate the cup and turn the cap seated on said bottle, saiddevices consisting ot' pins fixed to the cup and means forsuitablymoving them along cam-faces formed in the plunger-shell, and a guidemovable out of the rotary path of one of the pins to permit itsengagement with its cam-face and automatically returnable to said pathto guide and hold the pin away from the cam, and mechanism for returningthe pins tol their initial situation, said mechanism comprising adistinct cam in the path of one of the pins. f

6. In a machine for capping bottles, the vertically-movableplunger-shell, the plunger-cup rotatable independently of said shell andalso independent-ly movable vertically,

and an antifriction-ball housing vertically movable in the shell a partof said housing being held non-rotatably by the shell and a part fixedto the rotatable plunger-cup stem.

7. In a machine for capping bottles, the

vertically-movable plu nger-shell, the rotatable cup movable with saidshell and also'indepen dently movable vertically, antifrictionballsbetween the cup and shell, and a ballhousing fixed against rotation andmovable lengthwisethe plunger, said housingincluding a ring fitting theexterior of the cup.

8. In a machine for capping bottles, a plunger-shell, a cap-seating cupcarried by the tate the cap to lock it to the bottle, said mechanismcomprising a plunger', a cap-holder, and an inclined bearing between theplunger and holder whereby when the capin the holder is forced on thebottle it is relatively rotated to engage the cap and bottle.

10. In a machine for securing caps upon bottles, a member to hold thecap, and a member to push the holding member and cap upon the bottle,said members being adapted to rotate the cap after it is forced upon thebottle, a clutch to preventthe independent rotation of the cap, saidclutch comprising devices pivoted in the cap-holding member, a partmovable in the cap-holder to turn said devices on their pivots, saidmovable part bearing on the cap when seated on the bottle, and a springto move the said part and free the clutch devices after the cap isfastened upon the bottle.

Il. In a machine for capping bottles, the combination ot" theplunger-shell, the cuphaving a stem, the spring to press the cupdownwardly, the plug movable in said stem, the spring to move the plugdownwardly in the stem, and a cap-clutch operative within the cup, saidplug when it is forced upon the cap being adapted to render the clutchoperative, the clutch being inoperative when the plugis withdrawn.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses. f

CHARLES G. BAUER.

Witnesses:

HUGH HoYT, HENRY S. RAsQUIN.

IOO

